Square Enix mobile games could get cheaper soon

If you love to play mobile games, but want some better deals, we have some good news for you. Remember when Chrono Trigger for Android was released not too long ago for $9.99? That’s a price that doesn’t sit well with many mobile gamers and Square Enix has been known to price their games higher than everyone else. Most games are a few dollars or even $0.99. Square Enix has defended these prices in the past, claiming that the quality of their games justifies its asking price. Arguably that’s true, but if they want to compete, they need to do better. Most apps, games or otherwise, sell for a dollar or less.

Speaking at Casual Connect in Kiev, Square Enix’s General Manager of Mobile for Europe, Antony Douglas, answered some questions about the prices of their mobile games and seemed to hint that those prices could be changing in the future.

“I think that the Japanese view of this is that we have built quality games, whether they’re for handheld or for mobile… the business model is not set in this world. Everything is free-to-play right now, tomorrow it could be different, [and] it’ll change the day after that. I think Japan wanted to try things – bear in mind that game sells incredibly well at that price, [and] I think there’s something honest about it, because it tells you how much the game is going to be.”

“$20 for something you can play for 30 or 40 hours is still cheaper than what you can get on a handheld. [Square Enix] Japan are trying that and seeing how it works, and it works very well in Japan. It has been commented on quite a lot in Europe in the West, [and] they’re responding to it. They’re seeing the feedback, and there will probably be changes in the way that it’s structured.”